In general, walkers and walker-type devices are a necessity for many individuals to ambulate efficiently, effectively, and safely. Individuals become dependent on these devices for a number of reasons: failing strength, poor balance, birth defects, surgeries, and other afflictions associated with growing old. With an increasing demand due to an increasing number of the population becoming older, there are products available to meet the needs of elderly individuals who need assistance when walking. Some of the more common products are walkers, rolling walkers, hemi-walkers, canes, quad canes, and the like. For the most part, this array of products meets the needs of most people who need assistance while walking. However, there are certain populations that are not being well served by the current market offerings. For instance, some individuals that live in homes or visit places on a regular occasion that have narrow (less than 24″) doors, hallways or other narrow passageways. These individuals would benefit from having a walker that is easily and readily adjustable in width during use in order to easily pass through these narrow doors and passageways of older homes.
Such narrow passages and doorways have always been a problem for walker-dependent individuals. The traditional method of dealing with such a problem has been to leave the walker behind, which is an obviously dangerous situation, or to attempt to maneuver through the opening sideways or with the walker partially folded, a similarly very dangerous maneuver in which many individuals fall. This is an unnatural movement, in addition to using the walker in a way that it was not designed to be used.
Three basic walker designs of the prior art are currently available; walker types 1, 2 & 3, as shown in FIGS. 1, 1a, 2, 2a and 3, 3a, respectively. All of these walkers have sides that are foldable so that the walker is generally flat for storage and convenient transport. Walker type 1 (FIGS. 1, 1a) offers a front, rigid lower crossbar 1 having ends that terminate with sleeves 2, 2′ that allow a respective front vertical member 3, 3′ to rotate within the sleeve so that the sides may fold generally flat against or adjacent to the front crossbars. A second, upper crossbar 4 has integrated therewith a latch arrangement 5 that locks and unlocks the sides so they may folded against or adjacent to the crossbars.
Walker type 2 (FIGS. 2, 2a) offers 2 front crossbars 20, 22 that integrate hinges and locks 24, 26 on ends of the top crossbar, and which must be unlocked simultaneously so that the sides may be folded inward. The lower crossbar 22 is also rigid, and also is fitted with sleeves as shown in FIG. 1 for allowing the vertical front side members to rotate within the sleeves. Walker type 3 (FIGS. 3, 3a) offers only a single, rigid front crossbar 24, with hinges and locking mechanisms 25 on ends of the sides in addition to sleeves for allowing the vertical side members to rotate with respect to the crossbar, folding the walker flat. In all of these walkers, at least one front crossbar is rigid, preventing the walker from being reduced in width.